1 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 69OPINION CLUB AUTOSPORTn many ways, it was difficult to not feel somewhat
sorry for Chris Middlehurst come the close of play
at last weekend’s Silverstone Classic. On the face
of it, he was disqualified for ignoring a black and
orange flag. Even more difficult to defend, he then
kept circulating after the black flag was waved to the long-time
leader of the final Mini Celebration Trophy race.
Middlehurst, the son of accomplished Lotus 25 grand prix car
racer Andy, claimed that the position of the warnings – close
to the exit of the final Club corner at Silverstone – meant he
missed them until it was all too late.
He drew the attention of the stewards after a first-lap knock,
which dislodged his Mini’s rear bumper. It was bolted on and,
although dragging behind, stayed fixed for the rest of the race.
He hadn’t caused the damage directly, couldn’t see it in his
mirrors and so was none the wiser.
Coming not long after the Goodwood Members’ Meeting in
which he was punted out of the Betty Richmond Trophy race, it’s
been an unfortunate run for Middlehurst. If you accept that he
genuinely wasn’t aware of his indiscretions, then tears after the
decision to slap four penalty points on his licence seemed totally
just after the young charger had kept the likes of Darren Turner
and Adam Morgan honest for much of the two contests.
But, other than the Middlehurst incident, the Silverstone
Classic was not far short of flawless. In front of a claimed record
attendance of 109,000 across the weekend – and thanks to the
chivalry of Craig Davies who kept behind Jake Hill in the
Transatlantic Trophy bout for pre-1966 touring cars after the
leading Ford Mustangs tagged – there were no other major
controversies, and no particularly noteworthy or heavy shunts
among the amazing machinery on display.
Yes, there was plenty of rain. But that returned an astonishing
drive by Ligier JS11/15 pilot Matteo Ferrer-Aza as he pounded
after the Tyrrell 012 of Martin Stretton in the first Masters
Historic Formula 1 race. As the new surface – close to universally
praised by competitors for its grip and smoothness – dried, tyre
strategy proved decisive in the second Historic F2 race. A wet
notebook and steamed-up glasses were an easy trade-off for
some thrilling on-track battles.
As ace historic racer and preparer Simon Hadfield wrote in
his guest column in last week’s Autosport Historic Supplement,
the Classic is a calendar highlight. Aside from attracting cars of
a similar type, it retains a feel completely different to that of the
flagship Goodwood Motor Circuit events.
As the Silverstone meeting has grown, there are more trade stalls
and car club displays to attract a larger audience through the gate.
But it still feels first and foremost like a competitive event. It takes
nothing away from the Revival to say it’s become a place to be seen,
to dress up for and to knock back pints at. There’s little denying
that Silverstone lags some way behind Goodwood in terms of its
aesthetic appeal, but the racing at both is fantastic.
Controversy in historic racing surrounding over-zealous
development and questionable eligibility isn’t going to subside
any time soon, and it was bubbling under at the Classic. However,
to a point it almost felt like background noise as the racing was
close and, by and large, fair.
As a direct result, and even before the weekend was out, there’s
been a British Touring Car Championship team boss looking to
expand his company into the historic scene, and on page 48 there’s
just a handful of examples of cars that have had their competitive
UK historic racing debut saved for the Silverstone Classic – not
to mention the wealth of pro drivers who belted in and took part
themselves. There’s a good chance that the famous names will
keep on coming too, should the Classic enjoy a tweak to its date
that means it won’t clash with the BTCC, the Spa 24 Hours, a
grand prix and so on.
It must be acknowledged, though, that the Aston Martin-
backed Masters Endurance Legends series does appear more than
just a little bit incongruous. Ahead of the event, the Classic was
trumpeting the fact it was going to span 10 decades of motorsport- from the pre-war Bentleys and Frazer Nashes up to Steve
Tandy’s Lola B12/60, which was built only in 2012, as were some
of the GT class contenders.
In the absence of Group C grids from this year’s and last year’s
events, there’s a big jump from the early 1990s tin-tops – the
other more recent grid – up to Peugeot 908s that were winning
the Le Mans 24 Hours as recently as 2009. It’s odd, as a 23-year-
old, that these prototypes remembered so clearly in their prime
are now classified under the ‘historic’ banner.
To some, this grid might feel out of place and leave fans a little
cold. But, ironically, it’s good that historic racing can show its
ability to adapt and keep marching forward in time. The fact that
25 cars took to the circuit for qualifying shows there is an appetite
for the series to exist and that no part of motorsport is immune
to the need to be forward thinking.
In spite of some controversy, including questions over cars’ development and eligibility,
the spectacular Silverstone Classic proves historic racing is in rude health
MATT KEWForward-thinking historics
“The Silverstone Classic was not
far short of fl awless, and claimed
a record attendance of 109,000”
I